Car stereos etc

What's everyones view here on fitting stereos to series 3s? Are they worth the hassle considering the car itself isn't quiet? If anyone has fitted one, how have you done it etc?

i built a 18watt stereo amp (just for pluggin in the mp3) for me diesel series (i'm actually nay bad at that sort o stuff, just crap at fixin cars) but the bastard thing wasn't loud enough to be heard over the engine!!! ended up ditchin the idea and just listenin for bits falling off instead!

I have a Kenwood steup in my Diesel 2a with 2 Pug 406 Speakers I mounted in a cubby box and is fine for me

I see, I was thinking of doing something similar, ie putting the head unit in the the front of my cubby box {sob} sacrificing the cup holders {burst into tears} and making some ply boxes for 2 6"x9"s and sticking em just behind the 2 seats. Shouldn't be too hard to plum in.

My brother had a nice fancy set up in his 2a 109 with a Lasalle headlining that mounted the radio and two speakers up on the cab ceiling. Think there was also another bigger pair in the back in some orrible plywood boxes he made. Could hear guns n roses and sepultura quite clearly over the 2.25 petrol, and over the other sort of metallic noises that was made when that engine blew up, and it was still audible when the diesel 2.25 was fitted after that. He also had a soundproofing kit which should have helped. Radio was a nice blaupunkt thingie that some fecker then nicked by removing the
alpine window to open the rear windows in the hardtop to get in - despite the fact that the front doors weren't even locked at the time.

Think the aerial was on the front wing but can't remember what route the cable took to the radio. There was a wire that ran up the middle bit of the windscreen but that was only small so must have just been a live feed.

Not sure if there would be enough electrickery in my 2a to run a radio.

ipod and a set of Sennheiser PXC350s

10 seconds to install

excellent harmonic quality

negates to need to fit any form of sound proofing

Photo of my set up, I'll probably upgrade the speakers too..

Nice setup mate, that's pretty much exactly what i was thinking. Don't suppose it saves you much space in the box for other things though haha.

jmattley said:

Nice setup mate, that's pretty much exactly what i was thinking. Don't suppose it saves you much space in the box for other things though haha.

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Actually theres loads of space still in there, But its a case of I dont want to damage the wiring, And when ever I put stuff in there it just rattles anyway .

But thats what the Tool box under the passenger seat is for, And theres more than enough room in a defender dash to store things ..

How about a Mud dash?

yeah fair point, only thing youd have to be careful of is the wiring when you take the cubby box out so there'll be muchos bullet connectors me thinks. I'm thinking of a couple of 6x9s in boxes behind the wall behind the seats pointing upwards.

jmattley said:

yeah fair point, only thing youd have to be careful of is the wiring when you take the cubby box out so there'll be muchos bullet connectors me thinks. I'm thinking of a couple of 6x9s in boxes behind the wall behind the seats pointing upwards.

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First K&N Induction kits now 6X9's... Are you a chav?

Haha, not quite, though the old series 3 is quite a boy racery car haha.

jmattley said:

Haha, not quite, though the old series 3 is quite a boy racery car haha.

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Mines admired by the boy racers.. More so as a truck cab..




Dont suppose you have Messenger mate?

PMd you mate

jmattley said:

PMd you mate

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Got it, Just added you now .. Ill send you what mods I have inside

Mine came with a stereo fitted, speakers fitted onto upper seatbelt mount bracket. Kept hitting my bloody head on the speaker, so I ripped it out and binned it, sounded crap anyway. Just shout and sing to myself as I drive along now.

matt, that's a very tidy Series you've got there. Done much to it or was it in that condition when you got it?

Spyderman said:

matt, that's a very tidy Series you've got there. Done much to it or was it in that condition when you got it?

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Thanks a lot.. Bought it back in Lact october, Laid deposit down of £50 on 31st October 07, Picked it up 4th November 07 and it looked like this..







Basically was a unfinished project, the Previous owner was moving to South of france and couldnt take it with him and wanted £650 for it this time last year originally, He then said he would break it and I wanted the front recon Military axle from it for my other 88, Not knowing ho wmuch work had gone into it, He then said I could have it for 350 but I said I couldnt as I had no money at all.. Life moved on and he kept it and decided to take it to his future home in france, He fitted many new parts and got it ready for MOT and painted it in hammerite . Well a week before he was to take it for its MOT his missus told him to pack his bags just before their move to france. That ment he had no home and his 2a had to go but keeping his 2006 td5 defender.. So he offered it to me, I expected to pay £800 for it after his work.. I said how much too him, 10 minutes later, "£200 please mate" I nearly had a heart attack.

I bought it, took it home set out stripping the hammerite using 50l of nitro morse and a jet washer, sprayed it up in december (It took a month to get it ready for primer) basically painted it and kept it as a truck cab, Then fitted a 2a grille, then more cosmetics. Ditched the smokestack exhaust and fitted my other 88's hardtop for some reason I dont know, Sprayed the hardtop, Rebuilt the engine (nightmare! taken the head off 7 times!). Then fitted new wheels, Swapped for series seats, fitted the cubby box, And loads of accessories and that and put it through an MOT.

Basically All I have done is cosmetics, re-rung the engine and tidied it up.

if you have LRM you can ready the full story on pages 198-199

Forgot to mention Brand new Genuine LR springs, all new brake parts with Stainless tubes and copper tubes, New Shocks new bushes, recon fron axle, late 5brg s3 diesel with 2.5 head (Head now swapped as other was ****ed) s3 gearbox which is nice and tight. Basically Everything mechanical wise is new and was done before me.. All I have done mechanics wise is the engine!.

When I went to view it with £50 deposit I was expecting a scrapper.. My dad looked underneith and when the man had gone to wrote me a recipt, My dad went "fookin ell, its mint!" looked underneith and I couldnt believe my luck. I didnt know about the defender dash until the day before I went to look at it!.

I am now in contact with the owner to this date and he claims he is extatic that its in such good and skilled hands. I felt very proud of my self indeed!